During the 27th Solvay Conference on Chemistry in Brussels, Jan Danckaert, Rector of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), met two Nobel Laureates yesterday evening: Dutch chemist Ben Feringa (Nobel Prize 2016) and the newly awarded Omar Yaghi, who received the 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry that same day. The Solvay Conferences, co-supported by ULB and VUB, have played a key role in international science since 1911, bringing together leading researchers to shape the future of scientific research.
“We are privileged to regularly welcome world-class researchers,” says VUB Rector Jan Danckaert. “This is possible thanks to the International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry, jewels of scientific excellence since 1911.”
The Solvay Conferences, founded by industrialist Ernest Solvay, have for more than a century brought together the greatest minds to tackle the big questions of their time. This link with Brussels is particularly visible this year with the recognition of Jordanian chemist Omar Yaghi.
“Yaghi is a member of the International Scientific Committee for Chemistry at the Solvay Institutes,” says Professor Emeritus Paul Geerlings of the General Chemistry (ALGC) research group at VUB. “In this role, he helps shape the direction of the Solvay Conferences. In addition, Yaghi was awarded the Solvay Chair of Chemistry in 2021 and received the Ernest Solvay Prize for Chemistry in 2024 – often seen as a precursor to the Nobel Prize. Another Nobel Laureate in Chemistry this year, Susumu Kitagawa, also received this prize earlier, in 2017.”
Yaghi receives the award alongside Susumu Kitagawa from Japan and Richard Robson from the UK for their groundbreaking research on metal–organic frameworks (MOFs). These innovative materials act like a microscopic sponge, with a porous structure capable of capturing or filtering specific substances. Their discovery paves the way for sustainable applications, such as CO₂ capture and water purification.
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